Ashford 6: – Week 5 – Final Paper
Annotated Bibliography
In Week One of the course, you were asked to develop a research question and begin finding various sources that relate to that question. You will use the library sources and websites you have collected this week to create your “Annotated Bibliography” Final Paper. An annotated bibliography can serve various purposes. Sometimes annotated bibliographies are used as a broad survey of a research topic. They can also be used to demonstrate the research that you have done on a specific topic. A third use of an annotated bibliography is to explore a specific subtopic in more detail. Annotated bibliographies only include strong sources. Watch the video below to understand the process.
In order to complete this assignment, focus on the research question you developed in Week One. Remember that you can use your annotated bibliography to broadly explore your research question. The point of exploring the topic is to hone your research question and learn more about the topic in general. Before beginning, you may wish to review the suggested structure for organizing your Annotated Bibliography below under “Creating The Annotated Bibliography.”
First, explain your research topic and why you chose this topic. This can be done in three to four sentences. You will be gathering various types of sources (i.e., two websites, three scholarly articles, and one scholarly book) that relate directly to the topic that you chose.
After explaining your topic and why you chose it, you will annotate each source (i.e., two websites, three scholarly articles, and one scholarly book). The Final Paper will include a total of six sources. Each annotation must have the following content:
- Citation: Include a proper APA reference list entry.
- Purpose: Below the reference list entry in the first sentence of the annotation, explain the purpose or the thesis of the source.
- Content: After explaining the purpose/thesis, describe the content and elements of the source.
- Evidence: After explaining the overall structure of the source, summarize the evidence that the author uses to support his or her claims. Does the author use numbers, statistics, historical documents, intellectuals from the past, and so forth?
- Relation: Explain how the source relates to other sources you have found on this topic throughout the course. Point out how it contradicts or supports these sources.
Each annotation should be between 100 and 150 words. After you complete the annotation, the second thing that you will do is use the handout, Evaluating Information – Applying the CRAAP Test, to evaluate the source. Remember that CRAAP stands for Currency, Relevance, Accuracy, Authority, and Purpose. You will write another 100 to 150 word paragraph immediately following the annotation in which you evaluate the source and explain the strengths of the source. At the end of the paragraph, you will explain why you would feel confident using the source in a larger research paper.
View this Annotated Bibliography Template Example to guide you as you complete this assignment.
You may use the Annotated Bibliography Template to help format your work. If you use the template, be sure to refer back to the instructions for the assignment to ensure all elements are addressed as required.
Creating The Annotated Bibliography
You will be annotating six sources in this paper (follow the order below). The structure of paper will be the following:
- Must include a title page with the following:
- Title of paper
- Student’s name
- Course name and number
- Instructor’s name
- Date submitted
- Statement of research question and why it was chosen (three to four sentences).
- Annotations and Responses
- Annotation 1 (Website 1): Include elements above (100 to 150 words)
- Response and evaluation of source using CRAAP method (100 to 150 words)
- Annotation 2 (Website 2): Include elements above (100 to 150 words)
- Response and evaluation of source using CRAAP method (100 to 150 words)
- Annotation 3 (Scholarly Article 1): Include elements above (100 to 150 words)
- Response and evaluation of source using CRAAP method (100 to 150 words)
- Annotation 4 (Scholarly Article 2): Include elements above (100 to 150 words)
- Response and evaluation of source using CRAAP method (100 to 150 words)
- Annotation 5 (Scholarly Article 3): Include elements above (100 to 150 words)
- Response and evaluation of source using CRAAP method (100 to 150 words)
- Annotation 6 (Scholarly Book): Include elements above (100 to 150 words)
- Response and evaluation of source using CRAAP Test (100 to 150 words)
- Must document all sources in APA style, as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
Carefully review the Grading Rubric for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.